State trooper investigated for unauthorized commuting between Elizabethtown and Raleigh

ELIZABETHTOWN, NC (WWAY) – After receiving a tip, the Office of the State Auditor launched an investigation into allegations a Highway Patrol officer was commuting from his home in Elizabethtown to his office in Raleigh.

The investigation showed the First Sergeant commuted in his State Highway Patrol vehicle between 86-89 miles one-way. He drove the excess distance almost daily from January 2015 through December 2015.

According to the report, the First Sergeant submitted a “Request to Reside outside County of Assigned Duty Station” form when he was transferred to the Raleigh duty station in July 2014.  On that form, he listed an address for a house he rented in Johnston County. That request was approved.

However, the First Sergeant admitted to living in Elizabethtown during the investigation.

An analysis of the First Sergeant’s fuel and maintenance logs provided evidence that he regularly commuted between Elizabethtown and Raleigh including:

• The First Sergeant recorded 18 instances of re-fueling and/or having maintenance performed on his vehicle in Elizabethtown during 2015.
• The First Sergeant traveled 34,282 miles from January 2015 through December 2015. Mileage between the approved Johnston County house and his duty station would only account for 17,856 miles during that period

The State Auditor’s report said the exceptionally high commuting mileage resulted in higher fuel and maintenance costs and reduced the vehicle’s useful life.

By commuting from Elizabethtown rather than his approved residence in Johnston County, the First Sergeant drove an additional 16,426 miles during 2015. Using the Internal Revenue Service mileage rate, which is 57.6 cents per miles, the First Sergeant inappropriately spent $9,444.95 by commuting from an unauthorized residence.

The First Sergeant was responsible for inspections and compliance for State Highway Patrol units across the state. His duties include ensuring that State Highway Patrol officers follow the rules. However, by knowingly misrepresenting his residence, the First Sergeant failed to comply with State Highway Patrol rules and policies.

In addition, the Lieutenant, who is the First Sergeant’s supervisor, did not verify the First Sergeant’s address when the he became aware of the First Sergeant’s commuting. The Lieutenant admitted knowing that the First Sergeant violated policy by commuting from Elizabethtown.

The State Auditor made these recommendations:

• Management should enforce the residence policy and/or re-write the policy to add exceptions for certain administrative positions.
• Management should consider disciplinary action against the First Sergeant for knowingly violating policy and the Lieutenant for not adequately enforcing policy.
• Management should consider obtaining reimbursement from the First Sergeant for the $9,444.95 inappropriately spent by commuting from/to Elizabethtown.
• Management should consider placing GPS devices on all State Highway Patrol vehicles to monitor proper vehicle usage.

In response, the NC Department of Public Safety is directing the Highway Patrol to take the following action.

• Conduct an internal investigation on the affected employee(s) and take appropriate disciplinary action to include consideration of seeking any reimbursement that may be due to the state by the employee in question.
• Conduct a cost and feasibility study on the use of Global Positioning System technology on State Highway Patrol vehicles for the purposes of both tracking proper vehicle usage and maximizing officer safety for our uniformed members.
• Ensure Highway Patrol members are in compliance with current residency policy.
• Ensure current Highway Patrol policy provides both the accountability to the taxpayers as well as meeting the long term mission of our agency. To meet these goals, the Highway Patrol will conduct research and benchmark the residency policies of other North Carolina agencies as well as other state law enforcement agencies in the region.

We reached out the NC Highway Patrol to find out the officer’s identity and whether any disciplinary action will be taken.

 Lt. Jeff Gordon, Public Information Officer with the N.C. Department of Public Safety/State Highway Patrol said, “The Highway Patrol is in the process of conducting an internal investigation following a report by the State’s Auditor’s office. The allegations identified in the report will be handled appropriately.”

 Lt. Gordon also said the names noted in the report are not being provided per the State Personnel Act.